Packaging surgical sutures



Sept. 8, 1964 L. D. KURTZ PACKAGING SURGICAL. SUTURES Filed March 21.1961 INVENTOR LEN/7R0 0. W272 BY in W ATTORNEYS United States Patent3,147,861 PACKAGING SURGICAL SUTURES Leonard David Kurtz, 9620 222mlSt.,

Queens Village, N.Y. Filed Mar. 21, 1961, Ser. No. 97,249 1 Claim. (Cl.206-633) The present invention relates to an apparatus for packagingsurgical sutures and more particularly to a package for surgical gutwhich serves to maintain the suture in a moistened condition up to themoment of use.

Heretofore surgical gut has been packaged in an inner pack containing aconditioning or tubing fluid such as alcohol and water for maintainingthe gut in a proper moist condition for use. This inner pack is in turnpacked in an outer package which will serve to maintain the inner packcompletely sterile. The outer pack may comprise a jar containingsterilizing liquid or may comprise an individual completely sealed drypackage. Normally the inner pack is removed from the outer pack outsidethe sterile area and the sterile inner pack given to the scrub nurse.Normally the procedure involved in the use of surgical gut is for thenurse to open a plurality of inner packages in the operating room and tolay out the suturing material on a sterile towel moistened by the tubingfluid so that the surgeon will have ample surgical gut avajlable whenrequired. Unfortunately the gut is not always used immediately and thetubing fluid saturating the gut evaporates and leaves the gut in a drystate. Surgical gut when dry becomes diflicult to work with as itbecomes embrittled and coarse and tends to fray so that knotting the gutis a real problem.

The use of tubing fluid poses another problem in that the free fluidtends to squirt out when the package is opened. The presence of freeliquid within the operating room area is, of course, most objectionable.The liquid may splatter into the eyes or on the hands of personnelwithin the operating room.

Thus the packaging of surgical gut requires the use of a tubing fluidfor proper conditioning of the sutures yet this tubing fluid isobjectionable from the standpoint of being a hazard in the operatingroom and due to its rapid evaporation if not used immediately uponopening of the package.

The present invention overcomes all of the aforementi-oned disadvantagesby utilizing a surgical suture package incorporating an absorbent sheathsurrounding the suture, the suture and sheath being saturated withtubing or conditioning fluid, the atmosphere within the package beingsaturated with the vapor of the conditioning fluid. Thus in the packageas it is opened in the operating room, there is no free liquid to createa hazard. Furthermore, the absorbent sheath surrounding the sutureserves to maintain the suture in a moist condition after the package isopened and prior to actual use of the suture. The sheath may form aconvenient reel about which the surgeon may wrap the suture prior tocutting the suture into convenient lengths for use.

It is also possible according to the present invention to utilize anevaporation inhibitor with the conditioning fluid so that the drying outof the surgical gut will be delayed. A substance such aspolyvinylpyrrolidone has the characteristic of inhibiting theevaporation of the alcohol and Water mixture commonly used as a tubingfluid for surgical gut. The use of such an inhibitor in combination withan absorbent sheath provides a most effective means for maintainingsurgical gut in a moist pliable condition.

According to another embodiment of the present invention the surgicalgut is packaged within an inner pack with an absorbent sheet to obviatethe need for any substantial quantity of free tubing fluid within theinner pack 3,147,851 Patented Sept. 8, 1954 ice and an aperture isprovided in the inner pack for the passage of the suture end. The sutureis package within the inner pack in such a manner that it may be freelydrawn through the aperture and the inner pack is not opened so that itserves as a reel holder for the gut which is re moved as required. Theabsorbent sheet saturated with tubing fluid maintains the gut andatmosphere within the inner pack moist and evaporation through the smallaperture in the inner pack is slow.

An object of the present invention is to provide packaging for surgicalsuturing material which will maintain such material in a properly moistcondition up to the time of actual use of the suturing material.

Another object of the present invention is to incorporate in the innerpack for surgical gut an absorbent sheath saturated with conditioningfluid which will serve to maintain the gut in a moist pliable state.

Still another object of the present invention is to utilize the innerpack as a holder for the surgical gut as the surgical gut is unwound tobe cut into proper lengths for use.

Other objects and many of the attendant advantages of the presentinvention Will become more readily apparent upon consideration of thefollowing detailed description in connection with the accompanyingdrawings wherein:

FIGURE 1 is a perspective view of a suture packaged in an inner andouter pack,

FIGURE 2 is a perspective view of the inner pack,

FIGURE 3 is a sectional view thereof, and

FIGURE 4 is a plan View of another embodiment of an inner pack accordingto the present invention.

Referring now more specifically to the drawings wherein like numeralsindicate like parts throughout the several views there is shown at 1 inFIG. 1 an outer pack which may be made of clear plastic as shown orother suitable material and which serves to maintain the inner pack 2 ina completely sterile state. The outer pack is sealed in such a manner asto be openable along a tear strip 3 to flip out the inner pack 2.

The inner pack 2 according to prior art packaging is filled with atubing fluid so that the inner pack contains from two to four cubiccentimeters of free fluid. This fluid comprises a mixture of alcohol and2 to 10% water which serves to swell the gut to a proper degree andmaintains the gut in a pliable state.

According to the present invention, the inner pack is provided With acylindrically shaped cover 4 of a highly absorbent paper material whichforms a sheath for the surgical gut 5. This sheath is saturated withtubing fluid and maintains the gut in a properly moist state. Theatmosphere within the inner pack is saturated with vapor.

The actual method of manufacture may be to place the dried gut into asaturated atmosphere of alcohol and water and to permit the gut toremain in contact with this atmosphere until equilibrium is achieved. Atthat time the gut would be satisfactorily conditioned and ready forpackaging within a saturated sheath. It may also be possible to soak thesuture in a normal tubing fluid for a predetermined period of time,transferring the wetted gut into a package containing the saturatedvapors, thereby maintaining the moisture of the gut.

When the outer pack 1 is opened and the inner pack 2 passed to the scrubnurse, the inner pack may be opened without the attendant hazardoccasioned by the presence of free tubing fluid. The nurse may place thesuture 5 encased within the sheath 4 on a sterile towel until the sutureis required by the surgeon. The sheet 4 which is saturated by tubingfluid Will maintain the gut in a properly moist condition. The sheath 4may serve as a reel about which the surgeon may wind the gut to beunwound and cut into desired lengths.

It is also possible to incorporate into the tubing fluid used within theinner pack an evaporation inhibitor which will retard the loss ofmoisture by the surgical gut. This inhibitor may be a substance such aspolyvinylpyrrolidone. This evaporation inhibitor greatly enhances theresults achieved by the present invention.

In FIG. 4 there is shown an inner pack 6 according to another embodimentof the present invention. This pack is provided with a sheet ofabsorbent material 7 which serves the same purpose as the sheath of theembodiment previously described. The pack is also provided with anaperture 8 through which the end portion of the suture 9 is passed.According to this modification it is not necessary to open the innerpack as the inner pack serves as a holder for the surgical gut while thegut is drawn out through the aperture to be cut to desired length. Thesheet of absorbent material which is soaked with tubing fluid willmaintain the gut in a moistened state and evaporation through theaperture 8 will be relatively slow. It can be appreciated that the sheet7 may be in the form of an encasing envelope through which the gutpasses but it is more convenient for the gut to be clearly visiblewithin the inner pack so that the surgeon may readily determine theamount of gut remaining.

Obviously, many modifications and variations of the present inventionare possible in light of the above teachings.

What is claimed as new and desired to be secured by Letters Patent is:

A package for surgical suturing material comprising a sealed outer tearpack, a sealed inner pack disposed within said outer pack, asubstantially cylindrically shaped cover of moisture absorbent materialdisposed within said inner pack, surgical suturing material disposedwithin said cylindrical cover, said cylindrical cover completelysurrounding the suturing material and having open ends for the removalof the suturing material therefrom, tubing fluid saturating saidabsorbent material and said surgical suturing material, there beingsubstantially no free tubing fluid in said inner pack, upon opening ofthe outer and inner packs, said cylindrical cover ensheathing thesuturing material and preventing the evaporation of moisture therefromand upon removal of the suturing material from within the cylindricalcover, said cover adapted to serve as a reel about which the surgicalsuturing material may be wound whereby rapid evaporation of the moisturein the suturing material is inhibited.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS693,138 Johnson Feb. 11, 1902 2,893,548 Carver et a1. July 7, 19592,946,805 Kleinschmidt et al. July 26, 1960 2,949,181 Buccino Aug. 16,1960 2,959,280 Lloyd Nov. 8, 1960

